1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and, more particularly, to an image forming apparatus which efficiently removes a paper jam from a space point of view.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an image forming apparatus includes a feeder, an image forming part and a discharge part. The feeder supplies printing paper to the image forming part, and then the image forming part forms an image in the printing paper in a predetermined method. The discharge part receives the printing paper formed with the image from the image forming part and discharges the printing paper to the outside. The image forming part forms a latent image using an electric potential difference and selectively supplies a developer to the latent image and develops the latent image. Then, the image forming part transfers the latent image to the printing paper to form the image.
As the image forming apparatus begins to operate at high speeds and with high operations, the image forming apparatus requires various discharge options, such as a sort discharge option. Therefore, a special discharge device, which is detachably provided in a main body of the image forming apparatus to accomplish various discharge options, that is, a finisher, is widely used. The image forming apparatus widely employs an internal tray type, which is detachable to the finisher and is not projected from an outer line of a main body to the outside and is provided with a predetermined storage space in the main body to discharge and store the printing paper into the storage space. The internal tray type allows the main body to be thin and compact and uses space efficiently.
Where the finisher is mounted in the image forming apparatus of the internal tray type of image forming apparatus, a paper delivering device is disposed in the storage space. The paper delivering device is interposed between the image forming apparatus and the finisher to receive the printing paper from the image forming apparatus to deliver the paper to the finisher.
FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a conventional image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. As shown therein, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a main body part 110 of the internal tray type of image forming apparatus and a reader 120. The main body part 110 includes an image forming part 112, a feeder cassette 114, a discharge roller 116, and a discharge storage part 118. The reader 120 reads a document image and transfers document image information to the image forming part 112.
When the image forming part 112 receives the printing paper from the feeder cassette 114, the image forming part 112 forms the image on the printing paper according to a predetermined image forming process. The printing paper formed with the image is discharged by the discharge roller 116.
Where the finisher is not mounted, generally, the paper delivering device 140 may be not mounted as well. Here, the discharge roller 116 discharges and stores the printing paper to the discharge storage part 118 provided between the main body part 110 and the reader 120. Where the finisher 130 is mounted in the image forming apparatus 100, the paper delivering device 140 mounted in the discharge storage part 118 receives the printing paper from the discharge roller 116 of the main body part 110 to deliver the printing paper to a paper receiver 132 of the finisher 130. The finisher 130 discharges the received printing paper.
The paper delivering device 140 includes an upper frame 142 and a lower frame 144. The upper frame 142 and the lower frame 144 respectively include an upper delivery roller 143 and a lower delivery roller 145, which are opposite to each other and which create a process pathway of the printing paper (P) therebetween. The upper delivery roller 143 and the lower delivery roller 145 rotate oppositely with respect to each other so as to deliver the printing paper (P) from the discharge roller 116 to the paper receiver 132. The upper delivery roller 143 and the lower delivery roller 145 are rotatably coupled by a hinge part 146.
Where the printing paper is hooked in the paper delivering device 140, such that a paper jam occurs, a user rotates the upper frame 142 using the hinge part 146 and then removes the exposed jam. When the jam removal operation is finished, the upper frame 142 is rotated to an original position, which is substantially parallel with the lower frame 144. Accordingly, the upper delivery roller 143 and the lower delivery roller 145 are oppositely positioned with each other so as to be positioned to transfer the printing paper (P).
However, during the operation described above, the user should rotate the upper frame 142 sufficiently so as to be able to check and remove the paper jam. Thus, the paper delivering device 140 requires a sufficient amount of rotating space for the upper frame 142 to rotate toward an upper side of the upper frame 142 (i.e., a rotating space of approximately 100 mm in height). The reader 120 is sufficiently spaced from the upper frame 142 to ensure that the rotating space of the upper frame 142 is available. However, when the user lifts up the reader 120, the reader 120 exceeds a desired height in which the user disposes the document paper on the reader 120 to use (i.e., 900˜1030 mm) and causing an inconvenience to the user. Further, the user may lower the height of the main body part 110 to ensure the rotating space of the upper frame 142 is available. However, here, a loading height of the printing paper of the feeder cassette 114 should be restricted. Particularly, where the paper jam occurs in a process of using printing paper of a small size, to check the printing paper, a rotating angle of the upper frame 142 is enlarged, so as to ensure that there may be enough space for the rotation may be difficult.